The present invention relates to apparatus for composting waste material having solid and liquid contents, and in particularly for composting the dung of farm animals.
In many countries and localities, husbandry activities are carried out without concern for the environment. However, in recent years, due to the protective measures now instituted for the environment, limits on animal husbandry have been imposed. Of course, an ideal solution to the conflict between animal husbandry and the environment would not sacrifice the growth in animal husbandry activities for the sake of the environment or vice versa. That is, an ideal solution would address both concerns simultaneously.
In conventional hog farms, hog excretion is collected in a pond and allowed to decompose until it is useful as a fertilizer. The decomposition process results in noxious odors and the pond proves to be a significant breeding ground for insects and mosquitoes. The so-called dung pond is, therefore, quite unsanitary. Even worse, some hog farmers directly discharge the excretion of the hogs directly into a river. This creates serious detrimental effects on the environment. In this case, local authorities must place restrictions on the number of hogs allowed per farm and must also take anti-pollution countermeasures. Other localities restrict hog husbandry activities to areas where there is less concern regarding environmental pollution. None of these measures satisfactorily address the above-mentioned conflict between animal husbandry activities and the growing concern for the environment.